High school robotics clubs teach more than technology

Thursday

Apr 17, 2014 at 6:00 AM

Robotics clubs can help students launch careers

WEST BRIDGEWATER – The robot deployed by the Massachusetts State Police during a demonstration at the school last fall was capable of forcing a bomb detonation, sending back a live video feed and cruising over the toughest terrain.

Patrick McGrail, 16, a junior at Bridgewater-Raynham Regional High School, watched that robot in action and he was hooked. “I think it’s fantastic,” McGrail said. “I was amazed at how well the design was engineered for keeping everyone as safe as possible.”

For three years, McGrail has also been a member of the school’s TJ² Robotics Team. He’s helped design, engineer and build robots that can race forward, backward, kick and throw a ball. And one day he hopes to design robots like the one the State Police use to keep people safe.

Last April, the eyes of the world were watching when a robotic arm peeled back the tarp on the boat where Boston Marathon bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, 19, was hiding in Watertown.

Some of the technology used for designing that robot is already being taught in high school robotics classes, said Liz Calef, the chairperson of the Science and Education Department at B-R High School. She’s also coached the award-winning robotics team for 19 years.

“A robot is a machine that is controlled remotely by a computer,” Calef said. The robotic arm that was used to reveal Tsarnaev’s location relied on the same applications that Calef’s students are taught, she said. Motors and technology sensors drive the robots, which are controlled remotely.

“That robot had a computer inside of it controlling the sensors in the arms. We’ve made robots that have computers with sensors that can do other things like kicking a ball toward a goal.”

B-R’s robotic club is part of the FIRST program (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) where students work side-by-side with scientists and engineers.

One of the differences between a student-built machine and a professional one is the level of sophistication the pros are able to achieve, Calef said. “We design our robots in six weeks and sometimes they work and sometimes they don’t.” The robotic arm that was used by State Police in Watertown is tested over and over again to make sure they work, she said.

“Though we do not design robots for bomb detection, we are trying to give our students the 21st century skills that they could design robots for this task if asked to.”

This year Calef has seen the numbers in her robotics club swell to 58 students. “I can’t say that more kids are in the club because of the bombing, but we have 16 more kids this year compared to last year.”

Many of her students who took part in the robotics class go on to engineering fields as well as math and science. “Fifty to 65 percent of them go onto engineering fields in college, whether it’s bio-mechanical, civil or robotic engineering,” Calef said.

The Segway, the two-wheeled human transporter, has its roots in robotics clubs. “One of the organizers looked at an early student project and used it as the inspiration for The Segway,” said Dr. John Santore, the chairman of the computer science department at Bridgewater State University.

“These are fantastic programs for kids,” he said. “The specific skills that they are learning in high school can translate to mechanical and electrical engineering.”

Michael Brown of Easton wants to be a mechanical engineer. The 18-year-old senior is a co-founder of the Oliver Ames Iron Tigers, the school’s robotics club. The other co-founder is Josh Segill, also 18 and a senior. Next week they and several other team-mates are headed to the national competition as a wild-card entry in St. Louis, Missouri.

The FIRST competition has hundreds of clubs taking part from all over the country.

“There will be some kids who find success in technical fields thanks to these clubs,” said Ian Murphy, the advisor to the Easton Robotics Club for the past three years. But there are other skills kids also learn, like business and organizational skills, he said. But one of the most important lessons is working together.

“The FIRST organization has a term, “gracious professionalism,” he said. “At these competitions you’ll see other teams helping each other out while still doing their best and that makes it almost a community type of affair.”

Jennifer Bray may be reached at jbray@enterprisenews.com or follow her on Twitter @JenniferB_ENT.